Meet hinalea akilolo, the yellowtail coris! This beautiful, foot-long Hawaiian reef fish may look like three different fish species because the adults look totally different then the babies. When the yellowtail coris first hatches and grows up to about four inches long it is bright red and all of the babies are females. This often happens in the wrasse family of fish. Its Hawaiian name, hinalea, refers to Hina the goddess of women, the moon and coral reefs. As the fish grows it turns into the female colors of bright orange with blue dots and a yellow tail. In each area of coral reef a few of the females will convert to males then change colors to blue and green with a red band on this tail.
Meet hinalea ‘akilolo, the yellowtail coris! This beautiful, foot-long Hawaiian reef fish may look like three different fish species because the adults look totally different then the babies. When the yellowtail coris first hatches and grows up to about four inches long it is bright red and all of the babies are females. This often happens in the wrasse family of fish. Its Hawaiian name, “hinalea,” refers to Hina the goddess of women, the moon and coral reefs. As the fish grows it turns into the female colors of bright orange with blue dots and a yellow tail. In each area of coral reef a few of the females will convert to males then change colors to blue and green with a red band on this tail.
This fish is super fun to watch out on the reef while diving, as it darts around and never stops moving. It will even push over small rocks on the sea floor to eat small animals that live under the rocks. It will also follow larger fish around or even monk seals, and feed on little shrimp and crabs that the larger creatures scare up off of the reef. The common name “wrasse” comes from an old Greek name meaning “greedy,” as they are always the first to arrive to steal another fish’s dinner.
Wrasse had all kinds of medicinal properties used in old Hawaii. Some wrasse were even eaten by women who wanted to have a male baby, while a different species of wrasse was eaten to have a female baby! The yellowtail coris was eaten to help with brain disorders, and the name “‘akilolo” means “fixing the brain.”
Scenes of hinalea ‘akilolo are featured in the movie “The World’s Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fish,” at www.underwater2web.com. Children can see this fish in person at a marine science camp. See www.reefguardianshawaii.org for details.
